The iPhone Mom

Flower Power is hangman with flowers. Instead of drawing a hangman (which is really quite icky when you think about it) you have a flower that loses it’s petals each time you choose an incorrect letter. The app will show you the number of letters in each word and then you tap the letters you want to try. If you tap correctly the letter moves into the correct space. If you choose wrong then the flower begins to fall apart. On the “Options” screen you can choose a level of difficulty, from one to five. You can also choose to turn off the sounds and music. My kids and I were testing this one out and my husband commented on how nice the music was. It is very relaxing and a nice alternative to some of the noise that comes with kid apps. We’re enjoying Flower Power at the iPhone Mom house.

Price when Reviewed: Free for a limited time

Seller: EnsenaSoft

Any Word World fans out there? Guess what….they’ve now got an iPhone app called Build a World. It’s a gorgeous app featuring the characters from the PBS show. Letters bounce around your iPhone screen and you’ve got a word to build. Drag the letters to their outlines on the screen then use your finger to push the letters together and watch it turn into one of the Word World friends. You’ll see dog, duck, pig, ant, frog, sheep, bug, cat, cow and bee. They are fun and animated and colorful.

The app is very well done and engaging for kids but I’ve got a problem with the cost. It’s a $2.99 app and you only get ten words. True, most young kids don’t mind building the same words over and over but the price seems a bit high. I’m really, really hoping that the folks at Word World have an update planned full of many more words because they’ve got a terrific app that just needs more content.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

Seller: Word World, LLC

zooSpelling is a spelling app developed for preschool and kindergarten kiddos. There are two zoos to choose from – preschool level or kindergarten.  On the main menu if you choose “zoo” then a zoo map will appear on the screen. Use your finger to move around the map and you’ll see animal outlines. If you tap on an outline then you’ll be taken to the spelling screen. Now you need to fill in the missing letters on an easel to create a word. In the preschool level some letters will be filled in for you. On the kindergarten level they’re all missing. This could just play out as a big guessing game but zooSpelling provides some help. Next to the easel is a palette of paint colors. On each color is a letter. Tap the color on the palette that matches the colors on the easel to fill in the letters. When the word is completed another will appear. Once you’ve completed several words you’ll be asked to swipe the screen to paint an animal. Swipe your finger back and forth across the easel and the animal appears. When the painting is done the animal replaces it’s outline in the zoo and you’re off to look for the next one.

On the main menu you can also choose the “words” option. This will display sight words on the screen. Tap a word to hear it spelled out and then read. Then swipe your finger up to see another word. On the main menu the “play” option will take you directly to the spelling screen.

zooSpelling makes excellent use of over 130 sight words. I like the concept behind the app and how it makes spelling fun. One update I’d like to suggest is to have a way to get back to the main menu from the spelling screen. As it is right now you’ve got to finish all the words before the menu button appears. My only other suggestion is to make the “painting” a little easier. It took me quite a few swipes to paint the entire picture and my fingers are much bigger than a preschooler’s.

Overall I enjoyed the colors, zoo animals and concept of zooSpelling. My very own preschooler is enjoying it too and I love that he’s learning something while having fun.

*A note- zooSpelling is brand new, released on October 5th, and already in the Top 25 of Education apps.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99 (currently on sale)

Seller: Auman Software, LLC